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A State of Emergency has been declared for Northland as part of the region’s response to the potentially deadly Cyclone Vaianu. The emergency declaration was made after consultation with local councils and emergency services, and was requested by Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group controller Damian Rio. The State of Emergency is in place for an initial period of seven days. Rio said region-wide emergency declarations are relatively rare in Northland. “This declaration means we can act quickly if required. It gives us the tools to respond effectively and keep our communities safe if the situation escalates.” And further south down SH1, the Auckland Harbour Bridge faces possible closure as the cyclone bringing with it 140km/h wind gusts heads for the North Island. NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) said drivers should expect the bridge might need to be fully closed if wind gusts get too high. Lane closures and reduced speed limits were also likely. One rare red and 22 orange rain and wind alerts have been issued across the North Island, as the “multi-hazard”, potentially life-threatening cyclone approaches New Zealand. The red alert is a severe strong wind warning for the Coromandel Peninsula and Great Barrier Island from 5am to 6pm on Sunday, with wind gusts expected to hit 140km/h. MetService has warned of “threat to life from flying items and falling trees” and has advised those in Coromandel and on Great Barrier to stay inside and avoid travel. Forecaster Heather Keats told Ryan Bridge TODAY that there was now more clarity on the path of the “very large, damaging weather system”. “It’s expected to cross over the top of the Coromandel Peninsula, move over Bay of Plenty, come across Hawke’s Bay and flick out to the east. She warned people “to take seriously” the dangers around the potentially life-threatening storm. CYCLONE VAIANU WARNINGS UPDATE RED STRONG WIND WARNING - Coromandel Peninsula and Great Barrier Island Strong Wind Watches and Warnings for the entire North Island ? ?️ Heavy Rain Watches and Warnings for most of the North Island and Marlborough Sounds ? ?More… pic.twitter.com/Tp07UTGIzk— MetService NZ (@MetService) April 9, 2026 An orange rain warning is in force for Northland and south of the Bay of Islands to Hokianga Harbour from late Saturday evening. A strong wind warning is also in place for Northland and Auckland, with gales expected to reach 130km/h for most of the day on Sunday. Auckland, Great Barrier Island, the Coromandel Peninsula, the Bay of Plenty including Rotorua, and Gisborne north of Tolaga Bay are under an orange heavy rain warning from the early hours of Sunday through to the afternoon. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told media this morning that the Army was on standby, with National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) officials preparing for a significant event on Sunday. “Sadly, through a number of events, we have got better and better at managing events as local and central, but it’s still also on households to take control and be prepared. “Frankly, now is time to get organised and be prepared, think about evacuation if you need to, think about supplies, taking control over your household, tie loose items down and follow local advice.” Luxon said his main piece of advice was not to drive through floodwaters. He has implored people to take responsibility for their response. Might be blue skies right now, but it's going to look quite different this weekend. Auckland Emergency Management is in Alert Mode 'Orange' ahead of Cyclone Vaianu. Council’s Healthy Waters team has also already been stood up to check flooding hotspots. This is your sign to… pic.twitter.com/SDILeLVseS— Mayor Wayne Brown (@MayorWayneBrown) April 9, 2026 Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown said he was “quite worried [about] this one” because of previous floods. In those events, regional councils “never got around to what they were paid to do”, and...
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